Possibly the most contentious of issues in Ward 6 leading up to the upcoming municipal election has been the plans for future development in Colchester.

While Colchester was originally planted against Bremner as a potential growth node in Strathcona County, council voted 6-2 in favour of Bremner in March 2016, leaving Colchester up in the air at the time.

Coun. Linton Delainey is the incumbent for Ward 6, and abstained from the debate on Bremner due to perceptions of pecuniary interest, as he owns land in Colchester.

Looking back on the debate now, Delainey said he still feels Bremner was the wrong decision for a new hamlet in the county, stating: “This council ignored its own recent Fiscal Impact Analysis, which concludes Colchester would have the least financial impact.”

Pointing to a 2001 study, entitled Future Urban Areas Feasibility Study, Delainey noted the study read: “It is recommended that (Colchester) receive consideration for further analysis as a preferred area for future urban development within Strathcona County,” and that the study referenced the loss of prime agricultural land in Bremner, with the study reading: “It is recommended that (Bremner) be eliminated from further consideration.”

A 2003 report, Evaluation of Urban Growth Options, also noted: “(Colchester) is the preferred choice — cheaper all round, uses less productive farmland, and is in an area of low habitat ranking.”

For fellow Ward 6 candidate Alan Dunn, a former councillor in the area, the decision to choose Bremner was “the worst decision a Strathcona council has made in years” — but that doesn’t mean he’s in favour of Colchester.

“Neither the need for a ‘growth node,’ nor the benefits to the community, has ever been demonstrated,” Dunn said.

He noted the push for growth has resulted in the destruction of agricultural land; has ignored transportation planning; assumes financial cooperation from other levels of government; makes assumptions about financial responsibility without contracts; will result in the county borrowing “for decades” for an expensive endeavour; and that the decision to move forward with Bremner “shuts out most of the population of Ward 6 from whatever benefits may accrue from growth and development.”

“What were they thinking?” Dunn added.

Candidate Sarah Patterson’s thoughts echoed those of the first two candidates, as she said, “the decision for council to vote Bremner over Colchester did not make sense to me with the information I had.”

“I disagreed with it and would have liked to explore developing the assets we already have, such as our hamlets,” she added.

“However, it is time to move forward, the decision has been made. It is now time to plan for the future. With Bremner — and throughout the county — we need to develop responsibly. We will need to work with the natural features of the land and protect the watersheds, as well as, ensure that tax dollars are spent responsibly.”

Patterson also took umbrage with the county’s approach on the growth node public consultation.

“What is important to note, constituents have stated that they never believed that their input was being considered and that the decisions were made by administration before discussions began,” she said.

“Consultations felt ‘courteous.’ This is a practice of courtesy consultation needs to change moving forward, we can do better.”

Ward 6 candidate Patrick Hildebrand noted it’s more practical to consider Colchester for growth, but he said he would like to see the feasibility study before making a more concrete decision.

“It makes more logical sense to me,” he said for choosing Colchester for growth, adding: “First of all, it doesn’t have the traffic problem that I see would happen in Bremner.

“There has been no commitment from transportation or the province to consider any sort of access to Bremner.”

He added he thinks the traffic in Colchester could be handled with its rural roads, due to where the area is located and its proximity to Highway 14 and Anthony Henday Drive.

“It has a lot more going for it than Bremner does, plus almost half the price,” Hildebrand said, adding: “I would like to see the financial justification for Colchester before making a decision.”

Candidates will see their names inked on ballots for the Oct. 16 vote, advanced voting already commenced on Oct. 1.